ブラジルの旅 BRAZIL vol.5 / Manaus (1999)

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- Manaus  マナウス -

Nest of masters.

名人の巣。

Working men.

働きメン。

Lucky, when I think about it, it seems to happen every day.

ラッキーなこと、思えば、毎日あった気がする。

The humidity of the word Amazon. In imagination it is hard to sleep, in reality it is pleasant.

アマゾンという言葉の湿度。想像では寝苦しく、現実は心地よい。

Is it a monkey memory that makes me want to climb irresistibly?

無性に登りたくなるのは猿の記憶か。

The smell of mud, water, and greenery, civilized people cannot smell them apart.

泥と水と緑の匂い、嗅ぎ分けられぬ文明人。

All I know is that I should never touch it.

絶対に触っちゃいけないことだけはわかる。

At dusk, the sounds of creatures unwind and spread.

夕暮れ時、ほどけて広がる、生き物の音。

Dinner was grilled piranha. Carnivores are very busy eating and being eaten.

夕食は焼きピラニア。肉食動物は、食ったり食われたり大忙し。

Humans capture creatures for entertainment.

娯楽で生き物を捕獲したりするのが人間。

Black and white rivers, mixed together, look just delicious.

黒い河と白い河、混ざって丁度おいしそう。

Sweet spot.

甘い場所。

I don't know why I came to this store every day, but there were people who remembered my name and called me by it.

この店に毎日通った理由はわからないけど、僕の名を覚え、呼んでくれる人達はいた。

It was raining lightly. I had to leave the city in a few more hours. There were probably still many places to see, but I spent the whole day playing billiards at the hotel, just like yesterday and the day before.

小雨が降っていた。あと少しでこの街を出なきゃならなかった。観光すべき場所は、たぶんまだ沢山あった。でも、一日中、宿でビリヤードをして過ごした。昨日や一昨日のように。

- The Border  ブラジル・ベネズエラ国境 -

Once I cross the border, it's harder to go back. I'm grateful for that because I have a weak will.

国境を越えれば、戻りにくくなる。弱い僕にはありがたい。

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ブラジルの旅 BRAZIL vol.4 / Belém - Amazon River (1999)

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- Belém  ベレン -

I arrived in town early in the morning, and the 40-hour bus ride put me to sleep immediately until dusk. When I awoke, it was a squall that seemed to sink the world. It passed, and a chilly, refreshing time has come.

街に着いたのは早朝。40時間のバスの旅が、僕を夕方まで眠らせた。目覚めると世界を沈めそうなスコール。それも明けて、ひんやり涼しい時間。

Binge drinking and eating is happiness.

暴飲暴食のしあわせ。

If we eat all kinds of jungle grass anyways, maybe we can cure any disease.

ジャングルの草、とりあえず全種類食っちゃえば、どんな病も治るんじゃないだろうか。

Tonight we start our week-long boat trip up the Amazon River. So, we bought an excessive amount of food.

今夜からアマゾン河を上る約一週間の船旅。ついつい過剰に食料を買い込む。

- Amazon River  アマゾン河 -

The sound of a boat engine quietly ticking a steady rhythm. It is like the sound of a projector sending the scenery in front of me.

静かに一定のリズムを刻むエンジン音。目の前の景色を送る映写機の音のよう。

No matter how beautiful I am at any given moment, I cannot see myself. Therefore, I memorize the beauty of people other than myself.

どんなに美しい瞬間の自分も、自分には見えない。だから、自分以外の人間の美しさを記憶する。

Soap bubbles, immediately bursting into luminous afterimages.

シャボン玉、すぐにはじけて光彩の残像。

What the waving children want is not a hand to wave back, but money or something in exchange for their charm.

手を振る子供たちが求めているのは、振り返す手ではなく、愛嬌の代償としての物か金。

Will there be a few inessential things in that house, like photo albums or diary books?

あの家にも、少しは無駄なものがあるだろうか。アルバムだとか日記とか。

Yeah, I love boat trips.

うん、船旅が好きだ。

Hammock life on board, loaded with everything we need in a small space.

船上のハンモックライフ。小さな空間に必要な全てを積んで。

Today we practice origami. Kindergarten on board around my hammock.

今日は折り紙。ハンモックの周りに船上幼稚園。

A short time, so short that all that was left was smiles.

短い時間。笑顔しか残らないほどの。

Well, it's been a good day because nothing bad has happened. I'm blessed.

いい日だったな。悪いことが無かったから。恵まれてるな。

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ブラジルの旅 BRAZIL vol.3 / Salvador (1999)

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- Salvador  サルバドール -

A city in a dream that I had forgotten I had seen. Perhaps that's the closest description I can give.

見たことを忘れていた夢の中の街。たぶん、それが一番近いかな。

It was the second night before Carnival and the city was already filled with an unusual feverish atmosphere.

カーニバルの前々夜。街は既に異様な熱気に包まれていた。

Huge paper dolls displayed in the city. The brightness obtained in exchange for the fragility that crumbles when it rains.

街中に飾られた巨大な紙製人形。雨が降れば崩れる脆さと、引き換えに得た眩しさ。

A powerful black that seems to have been created by gathering all the colors in a city of vibrant colors.

鮮やかに発色する街で、全ての色を集めて生まれたような黒の強さ。

The carnival is finally in full swing. Men and women, adults and children, are all dressed up with spirit.

いよいよカーニバルも本番。男も女も大人も子供も、気合を入れておめかし中。

The magic of the costume fills you with confidence.

自信が満ちる、衣装の魔法。

The hustle and bustle of the carnival below. Finally, I found a place to sleep, a room a little closer to heaven.

眼下にカーニバルの雑踏。やっと見つけた寝床は、ちょっと天国に近い部屋。

The festival atmosphere is enhanced by the food stalls.

祭気分を高めるのは、やっぱり屋台。

Right, left, front, back, up, down, there are all strangers.

右も左も前も後も上も下も知らない人。

Loud noises and lukewarm breezes are streaming in from the open windows 24×7, whether I sleep or wake up.

開け放した窓から24時間×7日間、寝ても覚めても流れ込む大きな音と生温い風。

It's been a while since I crossed the boiling point of fun. But the carnival continues.

楽しさの沸点を越えてしばらく経つ。でも、カーニバルは続く。

Beer fills the emptiness.

ビールが空っぽに沁みる。

I looked through the viewfinder and for a moment, the present disappeared.

ファインダーを覗いたら、一瞬だけ、今が消えた。

Dance, dance, dance. No matter where we are. No matter if it's midsummer or midwinter.

踊れ踊れ踊れ。ここが何処でも。真夏でも真冬でも。

We dance for the lie that this night, this life, will last forever. We know it's a lie, so we dance as hard and joyously as we can.

この夜が、この命が、ずっと続くと嘘をついて踊る。嘘を知ってるから、思い切り激しく楽しく踊る。

A quiet sea after the festival. I don't feel sad, because it's normal for everything to end. I lied that.

祭りの後の静かな海。寂しくはない、終わるのは当たり前だから。というのはウソ。

An everyday afternoon, Capoeira in silence.

日常の午後、音もなくカポエラ。

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ブラジルの旅 BRAZIL vol.2 / São Paulo (1999)

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- São Paulo  サンパウロ -

The lady I asked for directions in a Japanese district was a third-generation Japanese-Brazilian. When I heard her Japanese with a faltering tongue, I suddenly missed distant Japan.

日本人街で道を尋ねたら日系三世の娘だった。はにかみながら紡ぐ日本語はたどたどしく、瞬間、遠い日本をとても愛しく感じた。

Asian market, both sellers and buyers are of diversified ethnic backgrounds. Because of the distance from the home country, there is a landscape that has finally grown up.

東洋市、売り手も買い手も人種は様々。遠いから、やっと育った景色がある。

A short drive away and you're surrounded by greenery, but there is yet a rooftop garden.

少し車を走らせれば緑まみれなのに、屋上庭園。

Perhaps the purpose was to give shape to the sky.

空にシルエットを加えるのが目的だったりして。

Only here is silence, only here is right, even in the middle of noisy and dirty city.

ここだけは静寂で、ここだけは正しい。どれだけ騒がしく汚れた街の中でも。

I was a little sad because it was the end of summer.

少し寂しかったのは、夏が終わる頃だったから。

While crossing the street, I laughed at the natural fact that I was still just like me, even though I had come to the other side of the earth.

横断歩道を渡る途中で可笑しくなった。地球の裏側まで来てるっていうのに、まるで自分ののまんま、というあたりまえに。

Yesterday's tomorrow is already passing. I have not been able to catch up with time since long ago.

昨日の明日が、もう過ぎる。ずいぶん前から追いつけずにいる。

We are about to board an overnight bus that will take us over two nights. I あalready knew that the songs we would hear on the bus would be unforgettable.

これから二晩を越える夜行バスに乗る。バスの中で聴く歌が、忘れられない歌になることは、なんとなく予感していた。

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